Brockton Launches Program To Help Addicts, Not Punish Them
BROCKTON (CBS) -- Brockton city leaders are following in the footsteps of Gloucester's Angel Program by launching a new plan of their own. They believe the best way to stop the opioid epidemic is to help the addicts, not jail them.
The city aims to help put some of the users on the road to recovery.
"This is a very exciting day for us," says Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter.
With the help of police and local drug rehab facilities, Mayor Carpenter announced the Champion Plan.
It allows drug users to walk inside a police station, turn over their drugs without getting arrested, and ask for help.
"The important part is knowing that you can walk in and get help just for asking," Mayor Carpenter says.
Upon entering the doors at Brockton's Police Department, an officer will sit and wait with an addict before bringing them to the Stairway to Recovery facility. The goal is to get them into a treatment bed.
"I'm proud. If you look around and throughout the country what this addiction is doing everywhere, it's time for all of that to change," says Brockton Police Chief John Crowley. "It's time for us to stand together and do something."
Since starting the program on Monday, a drug abuser in his 30's has not only been helped, but given a bed at the High Point Treatment Center.
Steven Raynard, a recovering addict of 30 years, is now an employee of the rehabilitation facility.
"I got tired of seeing people die," says Raynard. "I think the mayor's program is fantastic."
Questions asked by the community and media shed light on potential issues with the new program.
A High Point Treatment Facility representative says its nearly 200 beds have already been filled, which means opioid users could start suffering from withdrawal while waiting for a spot.
"We're going to try to motivate the person to go with us to the emergency room," says Mayor Carpenter. "Where they can get medical treatment, get some drugs prescribed to ease the withdrawal symptoms."